The last few weeks I have been attempting to incorporate some lighter and healthy meals into our weekly menus to balance out our indulgences (like chocolate chip cookies, blue cheese burgers, onion strings, Dr. Pepper pulled pork, au gratin potatoes….oy vey). I seem to go through this “semi-healthy-meals-at-least-once-a-week” phase pretty often but it never seems to stick. Maybe this time is different – we had a few winning recipes over the last few weeks!

This wheat berry salad was extremely flavorful, yet healthy. I really enjoyed it! James didn’t like it as much as me, but we can’t use a self proclaimed “meatatarian” as a benchmark, can we? I had never purchased wheat berries before, so I was a bit weary about cooking them properly. How would I know when they were done? Recipes describe them as being cooked when they are “tender, but chewy”, which to me isn’t really that descriptive! I ended up cooking them for the suggested hour and tasted one. It was… tender, but chewy! I guess that’s really the best way to explain them after all.

The dressing on this salad was my favorite part. It’s a vibrant citrus and garlic vinaigrette. It takes a bit of time to prepare, but it was well worth the effort. Since the wheat berries take an hour to cook, you have plenty of time to make it. I think this would make a great entrée for a girls lunch, since men seem to be a little too meat dependent

Wheat Berry and Arugula Salad (serves 4)
Ingredients:

For the dressing:
1 cup orange juice (from about 3 oranges)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
2 Tbs water
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

For the salad:
1 cup wheat berries, uncooked
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry, and chopped
2 oz feta, crumbled
4 green onions, sliced thin
black pepper, to taste
8 oz baby arugula

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot with a 1/2 tsp salt. Once the water is boiling, stir in wheat berries and partially cover. Cook for one hour, stirring often, until wheat berries are tender but chewy.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by simmering orange juice in a small sauce pan until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 15 minutes. Pour reduced orange juice into a small boil and cool in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. After cooling, whisk in the remainder of the ingredients and set aside.

To assemble the salad, toss the chickpeas, red peppers, feta, green onions and wheat berries in a medium bowl with half of the dressing. Salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate bowl, toss arugula with remaining dressing. Divide among 4 plates and top each with 1 cup of the wheat berry mixture.

If you are making it ahead of time or plan on having leftovers the next day, do not toss the argula with the dressing ahead of time. Simply pour the dressing on top of arugula right before serving.

Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen

Here is another breakfast idea for your Valentine’s day morning – red velvet waffles! They are essentially a basic waffle recipe with a hint of chocolate, red food coloring and tangy buttermilk, reminiscent of a red velvet cupcake. The flavor and sweetness is subtle, so you don’t have to feel like you’re eating cake for breakfast- not that there is anything wrong with that.

The batter needs to sit for 30 minutes before using it, so it gives you time to make bacon or sausages and preheat your waffle iron. Also, make sure to eat these immediately if you like your waffles crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. You can top the waffles with whipped cream and sprinkles like I did and pass syrup at the table. I think a thinned down version of cream cheese icing would be wonderful too!

Red Velvet Waffles (makes 4 large waffles)
Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour, minus 1 1/2 Tbs
1 1/2 Tbs cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbs red liquid food coloring

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.

In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, vanilla and red food coloring. Add dry ingredients and whisk until mostly smooth, with a few lumps remaining. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat waffle iron. After the 30 minutes of rest, pour batter into waffle maker taking care not to overfill. Cook to manufacturer’s instructions.

Recipe adapted from Food Network

I wanted to post an easy Valentine’s Day drink recipe for you guys to try this week. I know a lot of the recipes I post are pretty involved so this should be a refreshing change of pace. If you can find a bottle of champagne, a pound of strawberries, a lemon and a tablespoon of sugar, you’re in business!

The strawberry puree will separate from the champagne pretty quickly, so you might want to serve each glass with a cute swizzle stick. Also, you can leave the seeds in the puree because they will sink the the bottom of the glass and are easy to avoid. This can be served for brunch or as a dessert drink. Or you know, in the middle of the day, just because is fine too!

Strawberry Bellinis
Ingredients:

1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 bottle of champagne or prosecco, chilled

Place strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle sugar over the top. Let macerate for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place macerated strawberries and lemon juice in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour puree into a large pitcher and stir in champagne. Serve immediately.

Almost every family has a special cookie recipe that has been passed down through generations. This is ours. My mom makes them, my grandma makes them and my great grandma made them. They are a staple around Christmas, but my mom also makes them for other occasions…like Valentine’s Day! They are essentially a SUPER soft sugar cookie with a basic powdered sugar frosting. They are simple yet loved by everyone who has had them. My mom makes them better than me, but I’m learning!

The dough needs to chill overnight, but it takes 5 minutes to mix together if you have a stand mixer. It’s a little hard to roll out because it’s very sticky, but don’t be afraid to use a lot of extra flour. I thought I used too much last time, but the cookies still turned out very soft and moist. They have a surprisingly long shelf life, so feel free to make them a few days ahead of time if you need to. The recipe below makes at least 60-70 2.5-inch cookies. They puff up quiet a bit during baking, so it’s better to use a basic shape. If you want more intricate decorations, you could ice them with royal icing, but I like them just the way they are. They are meant to look homemade with imperfections!

Sour Cream Cookies(makes about 60-70 cookies)
Ingredients:

for the cookies:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening (Crisco)
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs (beaten lightly)
4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. Set aside.

Cream together butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in sour cream, vanilla and eggs until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until incorporated. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat over to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can grease pans lightly with Crisco or butter.

On a cleaned, floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake until bottoms are a very light golden color, about 6-8 minutes. Do not overbake!

for frosting:
5 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 Tbs vanilla extract
6 Tbs milk (plus more, as needed)
food coloring (optional)

Just mix everything together with an electric mixer and thin down with milk until the frosting is a consistency you like.

Family recipe

These adorable cinnamon rolls would make the perfect breakfast surprise your valentine this year. I wanted to surprise James with them on Valentine’s Day, but for the sake of the blog, I had to make them early! I saw the idea for the hearts on Pinterest a few months and have been thinking about making them ever since.

For the cinnamon roll recipe, I have been using the same one for a long time. They are easy to make and they always turn out. The best part is the fact that they are overnight cinnamon rolls, meaning that you don’t have to do any work on the morning of! You just bring them to room temperature and throw them in the oven for 30 minutes. You can even make the icing the day before if you want to keep it really stress free.

The only disappointing thing about these cinnamon rolls is they lose their heart look when you frost them. It’s ok, though, I think they still make a cute breakfast!

Cinnamon Rolls (makes 12 large rolls)
Ingredients:

for dough:
1 cup milk
1- .25 ounce packages of dry active yeast (not rapid rising)
1/4 cup warm water
1/6 cup sugar
1/6 cup vegetable oil
1/2 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 egg (to get a 1/2 of an egg, beat egg in a ramekin and pour out half of it)
3 1/2 cups flour

for filling:
2 Tbs butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp cinnamon

for icing:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 Tbs milk

Heat milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and let cool until it’s lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast into 1/4 cup of warm water and let stand for 10 minutes, or until creamy.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, combine yeast mixture, warm milk, sugar, oil, baking powder, salt, egg and 2 cups of flour. Mix until the dough is smooth. Slowly add remaining flour and mix until well combined. Knead dough on low speed for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, covered, and let sit for 1 hour in a dry, warm place.

Grease two 9-inch pans with butter and set aside.

Once the dough has doubled in size (about 1-2 hours), punch dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle, about 13 inches in length. Using an off-set spatula, apply butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. To roll the dough, roll in each long side towards the middle. Cut the log into twelve 1-inch rolls. Pinch the bottom of each roll to make the bottom point of the heart. Place six rolls in each pan, spaced slightly apart. Cover and refrigerate overnight, for at least 12 hours.

The next day, take rolls out of the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour. Preheat oven to 350F while rolls are resting. Also, make icing by mixing the icing ingredients in a bowl with an electric mixer.

Bake cinnamon rolls uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Ice while warm.

Recipe Adapted From AllRecipes

I am guilty of being lazy with side dishes for Mexican meals and often turn to boxed Mexican rice or a can of black beans. I’ve tried a few different Mexican rice recipes in the past, but nothing was good enough for the extra effort, so rice and packet options usually won. That is until I found this recipe.

It’s exactly what I think of when I describe a good restaurant rice – spicy, fluffy and just the right amount of tomato flavor running through it. It’s not that much extra work, so it’s definitely worth making, even on a weeknight. This time around I served it with one of our favorite meals – chicken enchiladas. I think it would go great in a burrito bowl, with tacos or any other Mexican dish in your repertoire.

This recipe makes a lot of rice, so if you don’t want lots of leftovers you should probably cut it in half. It does reheat well, though, so you could plan another meal around it for later in your weekly menu.

Mexican Rice
Ingredients:

2 roma tomatoes, trimmed and quartered
1 medium onion, peeled, trimmed and quartered
2 cups long grain white rice, rinsed and drained well
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
3 medium jalapenos, ribbed, seeded and minced
2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a blender or food processor, blend the onion and tomato into a smooth puree. Transfer the puree into a measuring cup. You should have 2 cups of liquid. If not, make up the extra with water. If you have too much, spoon out extra.

Heat oil in a large straight sided saute pan with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add rice and fry until translucent and golden. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and jalapenos. Saute until jalapenos are softened and garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in pureed tomatoes and onions, chicken broth, tomato paste and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover the pan with the lid and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed and rice is fluffy. Serve warm.

Recipe from Annie’s Eats

Whenever we go to Panda Express I always eye up the chicken egg rolls but never buy them. It’s a mixture of me feeling too guilty to eat additional fried calories and me being to cheap to buy them. Let’s be honest here – it’s probably the later. But last week, I finally got my egg roll fix! Instead of getting them as a side for my fast-food dinner, I made them at home as our main dish. I was able to control the amount of salt, the cut of chicken, and the type of oil I used. Just these facts alone make me feel so much better about what I’m eating.

These egg rolls are filled with shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, marinated chicken and garlic. They are easy to put together and taste authentic. As with most fried foods, they don’t reheat the best, so you might want to only assemble and fry what you are going to eat that day, and then assemble and fry again for the leftovers.

Chicken Egg Rolls (makes 12-16 rolls)
Ingredients:

For the filling:
2 Tbs soy sauce, divided
2 cloves minced garlic, divided
2 chopped green onions, divided
3 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/2 small head green cabbage, shredded thin
1 large carrot peeled and shredded
1 cup fresh bean sprouts

To finish:
12-16 egg roll wrappers
1 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp. water
Peanut oil, for frying

To marinate the chicken, combine 1 Tbs of sauce sauce, 1 minced garlic clove, one green onion, 1 Tbs of oil and the chicken breast in a ziplock bag. Move the liquid around the chicken and seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate for 30 minute or up to 3 hours.

Heat 1 Tbs of oil in a large saute pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add the chicken to the pan. Cook the chicken until cooked through and browned on both sides. Remove from pan cut into very small pieces. Set aside.

Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 Tbs of oil to the pan. Add the shredded cabbage, carrots and remaining Tbs of soy sauce to the pan. Saute for 5 minutes, until vegetables have softened. Add the bean sprouts and cook for another 2 minutes. Lastly, add the remaining glove of minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the shredded cabbage and carrots, and the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce. Stir to toss the vegetables. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes. Toss in the bean sprouts, remaining garlic and green onions and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken. Place the entire mixture into a strainer placed over a bowl. Press down mixture to expel as much moisture as possible. Let mixture sit for at least 30 minutes before filling the egg roll wrappers.

To complete the egg rolls, heat at least 3 inches of oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 375F. While the oil is heating, prepare the egg rolls. Lay one egg roll wrapper on a clean, dry surface with one corner facing you. Place 1-2 Tbs of the chicken/cabbage mixture in the middle of the egg roll wrapper. Fold the corner closest to you over the filling. Rolling slightly away from you, fold the two corners facing to the side in towards the middle. Continue rolling the wrapper tightly away from you. Dip a finger in the cornstarch/water mixture and brush the inside of the remaining corner with it. Adhere it to the egg roll and repeat with the remaining egg roll wrappers and mixture.

Fry egg rolls, 4-5 at a time until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Let drain on a paper towel and serve warm with sweet and sour sauce, duck sauce or soy sauce.

Recipe from Annie’s Eats

I am a HUGE pizza fan. I like thin crust, thick crust, sauceless, saucy, cheesy, meaty…you name it. I’ve rarely turned my nose up at a pizza. We make pizza once a week in our house so I like to mix up the variety a bit. I try to avoid eating the same kind every time, but usually I find myself making the same kind back-to-back. The only style of pizza I hadn’t yet made was a deep dish pizza and I’m not sure why. Maybe it was because the deep dish pizza stone was tucked away in the closet and I was too lazy to get it out. Maybe it was because it seemed like too much extra effort. I’m not sure why it took me so long, but I’m glad I finally made it.

The crust is different than any crust I’ve made before. It’s buttery and flakey, almost like a hybrid between “normal” pizza crust and pastry. When you’re making the dough, you’ll notice it’s a lot softer and stickier than most doughs. I was nervous that I wasn’t doing things right, but it turned out really well. Another quirky thing about this recipe is the process of “laminating” the dough. It sounds scarier than it actually is. The process is merely rolling out the dough, covering it in softened butter and then folding it up. This creates layers of butter and makes your crust have a flaky texture.

The sauce in this recipe seems pretty standard, but I couldn’t stop stealing tastes of it while it was cooking – it was that good. It’s thick, tomato-y and has a nice herby flavor. Pair this with 8 ounces of mozzarella cheese and some Parmesan and you have yourself a winning combination!

The recipe below makes 2 9-inch deep dish pizzas, so you might want to cut the recipe in half. I made both, thinking we’d eat one for dinner and have one for leftovers, but we were both full after 2 slices. It lasted us a lot longer than I thought! Also I should note that the pizza stone pictured is 10 inches so it’s not as “deep dish” as 9 inch would be.

Deep Dish Pizza (makes 2 9-inch pizzas)
Ingredients:

for the dough:
3 1/4 cups (16 1/4 ounces) flour
1/2 cup (2 3/4 cups) cornmeal
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
3 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
4 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp plus 4 Tbs olive oil

for the sauce:

2 Tbs unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp sugar
2 Tbs chopped basil
pepper, to taste
additional salt, to taste

For the dough, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Blend on low speed for 1 minute. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the water and melted butter. Mix until full incorporated, scraping the sides as needed. Increase the speed to medium and kneed until glossy and smooth, about 4-5 minutes. It should pull away from the bowl while the mixer is running, but stick the bottom when the mixer is off.

Using your hands, coat a clean bowl with 2 tsp of olive oil. Without cleaning your hands transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rest until doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour.

While the dough is rising, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foamy. Add the onion, oregano and salt. Cook until onions are soft and brown and liquid has evaporated, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a good simmer, then lower the heat to low. Cover with a ventilated lid and cook until it has reduced down to 2 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally during cooking. Remove sauce from heat and stir in basil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a clean work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into an even rectangle, about 15 x 12 inches. Using an offset spatula or butter knife, smear softened butter on the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Flatten dough to a 18 x 4 inch rectangle and cut in half. Working with one half at a time, fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Shape the dough into a ball, pinching the seams and return it to the oiled bowl. Repeat with second piece of dough. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425F and oil two 9 inch with 2 Tbs of oil each.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll dough into a 13 inch circle. Transfer dough to the oiled pan and press it down along the edge of the pan, making sure that the dough goes up the side of the pan about 1 inch. Sprinkle 2 cups of mozerella cheese onto the dough and then top with 1 1/4 cups of sauce. Sprinkle 2 Tbs of Parmesan on top of the sauce. Repeat with second piece of dough. Bake pizzas until dough has browned around the edge and the pizza is baked through, about 40 minutes. Let pizza rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Note: Picture is our “leftover” pizza that we ate the day after I baked it. The sauce will set up a bit more overnight (like lasagna) so yours might be a lot runnier on the night you bake it. If you want to reheat the pizza, bake in the oven at 350F until heated through, about 10-15 minutes.

Recipe from The Best of America’s Test Kitchen

This recipe needed the word “perfect” in the title. They really are the perfect french fry. We’ve been making these fries for the last 6 months or so, but I was finally able to get a picture to share. Normally, they aren’t around long enough for a picture, so I had to make a special batch just for you guys!

We’ve experimented with several different seasonings on these fries – salt, seasoning salt and cajun seasonings. Although they are all tasty, I decided that I wanted to make a “house seasoning” that we could use on fries and other foods. Don’t worry, I’ll let you in on my secret!

We do have a deep fryer, but you can use a dutch oven or a heavy bottomed pan instead. If you fry once a month (or like us, way more), a deep fryer is a much easier and more economic alternative. We strain the oil and keep it right in the fryer.

Perfect French Fries
Ingredients:

russet potatoes, cut in matchsticks (as many as you want)
large bowl of heavily iced water
4 quarts of peanut oil
house seasoning, as follows

Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl of heavily iced water and let sit for 30 minutes.

Pour oil in a dutch oven, deep fryer or heavy bottomed pan. Preheat oil to 325F.

Pat cut potatoes dry with clean kitchen towels. Working in batches, fry potatoes for 7-8 minutes, until floppy and slightly browned. Drain fries on paper towels or brown paper bags – my preferred method. Repeat as necessary. Let fries sit for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, increase oil temperature to 350F.

Working in batches again, cook fries again for 1-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain fries again on paper towel or brown paper bags. Season immediately.

House Seasoning
Ingredients:

3 parts salt
1 1/2 parts garlic powder
1 part black pepper
1 part paprika

Blend ingredients together and store in an airtight jar.

*Note: I usually use 1 tsp = 1 part and remake the mix as often as needed.*

Recipe from Emeril Lagasse

Here’s yet another keeper from the very talented Rebbecca Rather. If you haven’t purchased The Pastry Queen yet, I think it’s time to consider doing so!

First of all, how enticing does the title of this recipe sound?! In my opinion, these scones are more biscuit-like than scone-like, but they are still delicious. You can bake up a batch on Sunday afternoon and have a hearty go-to breakfast for the rest of the week. (Does anyone else survive on boring things like oatmeal, toast or yogurt during weekday breakfasts, or is it just us?) They are portable and satisfy every appetite – especially your hungry men!

Traditionally, scones are not savory, but rather have a sugary glaze, fruit, or other sweetened ingredients. I’ve always liked savory breakfasts (hash browns, sausages, eggs, etc) more than sweet (pancakes, waffles, pastries), so these scones were right up my alley. I think they would make a great dish for a brunch spread with a side of mimosas!

Bacon and Cheddar Scones (makes 8 large scones)
Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 slices of bacon, cooked, drained and cut or crushed into small pieces
3/4- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
2 Tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on low and mix dry ingredients for 30 seconds. Working with a few pieces at a time, gradually add the butter cubes while the mixer is running. Continue to mix until the butter is pea sized and there are no large chunks. Do not overmix! Add the grated cheese and mix until just blended.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Mix bacon, green onions and ¾ cup of buttermilk by hand until a dough has formed. Add additional buttermilk, 1 Tbs at a time, until dough is soft and pliable, but not sticky. Do not overwork the dough.

Place the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into an 8 inch circle, roughly a ½ inch thick. Cut the circle into 8 wedges. Place wedges on prepared baking sheet.

Beat together egg and water in a ramekin to make an egg wash. Brush scones with egg wash and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked throughout the middle.

Recipe from The Pastry Queen